Online Simplicity

I am taking some inspiration from Leo Babauta and beginning an experiment to see how much of my computing I can do completely online. Follow the link for some great ideas of how to accomplish this.

Here are some of the tools I will be using:

• GMail
• Google Calendar
• Zoho Office
• Flickr

One of my goals is to try to minimize my need for a specific computer or operating system.

The potential benefits of this are huge:

• Backups become less necessary. (Everything is automatically backed-up online.)
  
• I can jump from computer to computer and have all of my info and documents at my fingertips. No set-up or extra software necessary.
  

Limitations:

• I can't store my music online.
• My Internet connection at home is sometimes sketchy. If it goes down and I don't have an off-line version of my documents, I may be in trouble.
• Tablet PC functionality is most useful in "offline" applications.

Strategy:

• I want to keep my most critical information backed-up both online and offline.
• Don't let myself get so constrained trying to force myself into a given system that it becomes a hinderance rather than a help.

Follow the link above for more of Leo's thoughts on this and his recommendations for how to become a cyber-minimalist.

For related ideas, read my previous post for living off of a USB drive and web browser, something I executed fairly well last summer when I was having lots of trouble with my Sony laptop.

Also, see 25 Firefox extensions that can make you more productive. I particularly like Better GMail and Better GReader.

Tips for becoming an e-mail ninja here, here, and here. Don't forget to check out GMail's keyboard shortcuts -- highly useful for managing your e-mails with speed and efficiency. Also, watch this video by Merlin Mann on Inbox Zero: